


Loving Each Other in Plain Sight: The Brownstone Tour

by andrew_justandrew



Series: Loving Each Other in Plain Sight [1]
Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Moving In Together, One Shot, POV Henry, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff, Sort of cheesy but I can't help myself, blowjob
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:40:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29664648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrew_justandrew/pseuds/andrew_justandrew
Summary: The presidential election is over, Alex and Henry are a public power couple, and now it's time to figure out the rest of their lives together. It's time to love each other in plain sight.Before the election, Henry purchased a brownstone in Brooklyn. After the election, Alex was admitted to NYU Law. It's time for Henry to give Alex the grand tour of their new home.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Series: Loving Each Other in Plain Sight [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179902
Comments: 51
Kudos: 164





	Loving Each Other in Plain Sight: The Brownstone Tour

**Author's Note:**

> I am very much obsessed with these characters and I can't stop thinking about them, so I decided to imagine what their lives might be like after the book concludes... when Alex and Henry have to figure out how to love each other in plain sight. I love the thought of them building a life together.
> 
> This story itself is intended to be a one shot, but I have several more ideas that fit into this theme. No promises on quantity or frequency, though. The next story may never live to see the light of day if it turns out that I'm a horrible writer. However, I am putting this story into a series so that future one offs that fall under this theme (figuring out regular life, post-book) can be tied together.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

First son gains admission to NYU Law, spurring questions of living arrangements with Prince Henry

January 4, 2021

First Son of the United States Alex Claremont-Diaz has earned admission to the New York University School of Law, the White House announced in a press briefing. A spokesperson for NYU Law confirmed the reports.

“My goal has always been to do the most good I can,” Claremont-Diaz said in a statement released to the press. “We saw Texas turn blue for the first time since 1976, due in part to several court rulings that ensured fair access to voting and efforts by my mother’s campaign to mobilize and engage disenfranchised voters. Texas is a reminder of the importance of this work. There are millions of Americans whose voices are unheard in the legal and political system. I want to help give a voice to as many of those people as I can.”

A former campaign spokesperson previously confirmed to CNN that much of the Claremont/Holleran 2020 campaign’s efforts focused in Texas were driven by the First Son’s belief that the state could help re-elect his mother.

When asked about the First Son’s living arrangements upon his matriculation in the fall, the White House declined to provide specifics, citing security concerns.

“If you’re asking me if we’re going to have Alex’s mail forwarded, the answer is no,” President Claremont’s press secretary announced. “Alex will continue to remain an active part of the First Family, and we expect that he will commute between Washington, D.C. and New York quite frequently.”

It is widely speculated that Claremont-Diaz’s decision to enroll at NYU Law is related to rumors that His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales plans to move to New York, as his foundation assumes control of a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. The White House declined to comment, but a source close to the First Family indicated that Alex was considering law school before Prince Henry’s plans for his foundation were finalized.

First Son Claremont-Diaz made history last fall when he publicly identified as bisexual in an address from the White House, the only time a member of the First Family has openly identified with the LGBT community. The announcement followed the publication of revealing photos and intimate emails that showed a romantic and sexual relationship with the Prince of Wales. A federal investigation into the source of those leaks is still ongoing.

Earlier this week, Kensington Palace denied claims that Prince Henry was moving to the United States. “Prince Henry’s official residence continues to remain Kensington Palace.” However, they did confirm that the Prince of Wales is expected to spend more time in New York this year as he builds the Henry Foundation, a non-profit organization launched by Prince Henry that will focus on LGBT rights. Prince Henry’s time in New York, the spokesperson insisted, is related to his work for the foundation and not his relationship with First Son Claremont-Diaz.

As they sit in the back of an SUV being driven down the freeway, the only thing Henry feels is anxiety. When he purchased the brownstone at the end of October, Henry felt confident about the decision. The shelters for disenfranchised LGBT teenagers in Brooklyn and the United Kingdom were the largest two of the Henry Foundation, so it made sense that he would have a private residence in the States in addition to his residence at Kensington Palace. The fact that it would also give him an opportunity to be geographically closer to the man now sitting to his right was just an added bonus—officially speaking, at least.

Since the purchase, a lot of other really good things have happened. United States President Ellen Claremont was reelected for a second term. The launch of the Henry Foundation was met with positive media coverage and lots of public support. The best event, the one that made Henry’s heart jump into his throat, was Alex receiving an offer of admission to the New York University School of Law. Alex’s admission to NYU Law was a complete surprise to Henry (“I didn’t want to get your hopes up if I wasn’t admitted, and it was so rushed and last minute anyways,” Alex told him), and that made the home purchase in Brooklyn even more significant.

“Everything okay, babe?” Alex grabs his hand, pulling him out of his own thoughts. Henry knows that Alex knows that Henry is feeling anxious about something. He tries to relax the muscles in his face, at least.

“Yes. Just— just excited.”

Alex’s eyes squint ever so slightly, sensing the deception from Henry but thankfully letting it go. It’s not that Henry isn’t bloody thrilled to be taking this step with Alex, but suddenly he is fit with panic that Alex won’t like the brownstone he purchased. Shouldn’t they have picked out a home together? Henry made this purchase when he thought Alex would only stay occasionally, when Henry was in the States and their schedules aligned. Now that Alex will be spending so much time in the city, this is going to be as much his home as it is Henry’s.

Without more time to consider, the SUV takes a turn and Henry asks the PPO who is driving to pull over. “It’s just up here, halfway down the block,” he says, turning to Alex. “Let’s walk the rest of the way. I want you to get a good look at it from the outside.”

Alex slips out of the SUV first, followed by Henry. It’s a chilly but tolerable day, and he hopes the fresh air will clear his mind and calm his nerves. “I really hope you like it, love,” Henry says, looking ahead. “But, you know. If there’s _anything_ you don’t like, we’ll change it. If you hate the entire place, we— I can— I can sell it, and we’ll find a new home together.”

“Hey,” Alex says, stopping. He looks up at Henry with those beautiful, dark eyes, and Henry resists the urge to lean down and kiss him. For just a moment, all of Henry’s fears and anxieties dissolve. “Don’t over think it.”

“I’m trying,” Henry forces a smile and begins walking again. “I think I already told you this, but there were some furniture pieces include in the sale so it is partially furnished. Oh! I nearly forgot.”

Alex looks up, curious, and Henry just grins.

“I commissioned a painting,” Henry says. “June actually helped me track down the artist, although—”

Alex cuts him off, sharply. “Henry, I love you, but I will fucking _kill_ you if there is a George W. Bush painting inside this house.”

Henry throws back his head, and laughs heartedly. “No, no—” he chokes out, in between laughs. “I think you’ll like this one much better.”

Just as he stops laughing, they arrive in front of the brownstone. “This is it,” Henry announces, feeling as though the ground just fell out from underneath him. He studies Alex’s face carefully, on the lookout for initial reactions or visual cues that will give away any displeasure.

“ _H_ ,” Alex says, so quiet it’s almost a murmur. “It’s beautiful!”

Henry finally takes his eyes of Alex, feeling—momentarily at least—that his sense of gravity has returned, and looks up. It’s a classic brownstone in nearly every way: a taupe sort of color, with various textures and all sorts of architectural features on the front. In the space between the sidewalk and the front of the building, a small planter filled with several bushes and a miniature tree. Opposite the planter is a staircase, making a 90 degree angle about halfway up, leading to a set of brown double doors.

Henry reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key, shifting the direction of his body towards Alex. “Before we go inside, this… this is yours.” He presents the key to Alex.

“Oh, thanks,” Alex says, whose smile Henry can’t quite read. Alex takes the key off the palm of his hand. “I was hoping I would get one of these.”

Henry swallows hard, suddenly feeling as though gravity has left him again. Did he entirely miscalculate this situation? “Why…? Why wouldn’t you get your own key?”

Alex is suddenly showing his own signs of anxiety, and Henry realizes this isn’t the first time Alex has thought about the implications of this move either. “Well, you know. I mean— I know it’s _your_ house. And, like, I don’t even have a key to the Wh—”

Henry holds up a hand, gently. “Alex—I don’t want this to be _my_ house. I want this to be _our_ home. Together.”

Alex leans up, cups his right hand around Henry’s neck, and kisses him. And suddenly, Henry feels any remaining nerves he had slip away. He kisses Alex back, bringing his arm up to hold Alex’s waist, and lets go of the tension he’s been holding.

When the two pull away, Henry opens his eyes to find Alex looking up at him. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you, too,” Henry smiles, pecking Alex’s forehead with another kiss. “Let’s head inside so we can decide where we’re going to hang a certain former president’s self-portrait. I was thinking over the bed…”

Alex storms ahead and starts up the steps. “You insufferable dick,” he says, but Henry can hear the laughter in his voice.

Once they both reach the top of the steps, Alex slips the key into the front door and turns, pushing it open. Henry takes a deep breath and follows Alex inside, through a small vestibule, and into the front parlor. Henry has seen it all before, but now he gets to see it again for the first time through Alex’s reactions. There’s a realization somewhere deep in the back of his mind that he is noticeably less anxious now.

One thing, however, is brand new to Henry: the painting he commissioned was delivered, and is leaning against the wall to the right. It’s covered in a burlap tarp, and is slightly bigger than Henry pictured—easily six feet tall. He decides to wait until the end of the tour to remove the tarp.

“These ceilings…” Alex says to nobody in particular. “They’re so tall.”

Henry gently leads Alex through the home, watching with delight as Alex seems to like what he sees. Every grin on Alex’s face makes Henry feel more confident about his decision to purchase the brownstone, and every interior design suggestion Alex makes fuels a spreading feeling of hope in Henry’s chest.

They stroll through the parlor floor first, passing through the formal dining room and eat-in kitchen. They step outside to a small deck on the back of the home, take an exterior set of stairs down to the garden below, and re-enter the building through a second kitchen. “I thought that—depending on what you think—we could turn this floor over to the PPOs to set up their operation,” Henry explains. “Shaan could stay in the bedroom down here, when he’s in the States with me.”

They skip the cellar for now, which Henry indicates is mostly storage, utilities, and a small gym—the equipment for which was also included in the purchase.

(“Oh, good,” Alex says, almost absentmindedly. “Gotta keep this ass right and tight so I don’t risk losing the world’s most eligible bachelor.”

A noise escapes Henry’s throat that is somewhere between an exhale and a whimper.)

Instead, they take the elevator to the second floor and walk through a more casual living room, a library, and a guest bedroom. The third floor contains three more guest bedrooms, and Henry stops in one in particular to add, “June has already claimed this room for when she visits, by the way.”

“Wait. _June_ was here? _Before_ me?”

“No,” Henry corrects, right away. “I just showed her some pictures before I bought it. You know. Er. I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t _hate_ it.”

“Conspiracy against the First Son of the United States,” Alex says, laughing lazily, and leans in for a kiss.

Henry begins to leads Alex up to the fourth floor, but stops half-way up the stairs. “Do you remember,” he begins to ask, forcing himself not to grimace at what he’s about to say. “I sent you an email once. Something about _Jane Eyre_ …”

“Yes,” Alex interjects, a hint of a smile on his face. “I believe you said you just wanted to live in my bed, eat chocolate pastries, and make love until we expire.”

“Right,” Henry replies, his ears turning slightly red with the ease at which Alex recalled the message. “Well, when I saw the fourth floor, I had a similar vision. Not necessarily of us expiring, of course, but maybe a lazy Saturday morning. Waking up _together_ , in the _same time zone_. Not a care in the world. _Just together_ , and you would be drinking coffee and I would be drinking tea. We’d make love and then make love again. We could live the entire day, _just you and me_ , tangled up in each other. We’d never even have to leave this floor.”

“ _Baby…_ ”

“Well, anyways,” Henry says, ears bright red now. “That’s when I decided to put an offer in on this home.”

Before he can say anything more embarrassing, Henry turns and continues up the steps. Alex slips his hand into Henry’s, and Henry gives it a slight squeeze back. They turn off the steps—Henry first, followed closely by Alex—and are standing on the fourth floor landing.

Towards the front of the house is the primary bedroom, which Alex walks towards first. The room is massive, even for a member of the royal family, and is painted a deep blue with white finishings. On one side of the room is a set of three bay windows, overlooking the street below and allowing full rays of sunshine into the room. The adjacent wall is covered, corner to corner, with a beautiful built-in bed frame just waiting for a king sized mattress. Opposite the bed is a fireplace.

Alex is standing inside the room, slowly turning around in circles and taking in each and every detail from the elaborate crown molding to the hardwood floors. When he finally turns back towards Henry, he’s got an almost dumbfounded smile on his face.

“Can we keep the paint color?” Alex asks, as he steps towards Henry’s position and closes the distance between the two. “It’s going to make your eyes look so beautiful every morning I get to wake up next to you, _sweetheart._ ”

Henry melts a little inside and wraps his arm around Alex’s neck, pulling him closer. He’s suddenly got that feeling as though he’s lost gravity again—but this time, instead of a sinking feeling, Henry feels as though he is being lifted up. Floating. He leans down and kisses Alex, and Alex kisses back, and it’s all just so wonderful and he can barely believe his own luck.

Happier than ever, the pair continue their tour of the fourth floor—first, the lavish bathroom with the marble double vanity and a tub so large they can both comfortably fit inside (Alex made them test this theory, just to be sure). Second, a small counter down the side of a hallway that reminds Henry of a minibar in a hotel room. There is a half-sized refrigerator underneath, a sink on top, and enough counter space for a coffee maker, electric kettle, and surely some champagne and expensive chocolates when the time is right.

At the end of the hallway is a small sitting area and a door that leads to another small deck off the back of the house. Henry pulls Alex towards the staircase in the corner. “Roof access,” he says. “And it’s quite private.”

As they reach the roof, Alex heads straight for the hot-tub positioned on the side of the roof next to a dividing wall that separates their space from the neighbors. “This is incredible, Henry.”

“Does that mean you like the house?”

“I _love_ the house,” Alex replies, turning away from the hot tub and facing Henry, toe-to-toe. “And, I love you.”

Alex leans up into a kiss, which Henry gladly accepts and returns. Their arms start to wrap around each other when Alex steps forward, guiding Henry backwards. And although his eyes are closed and he has no idea where his body is moving, Henry doesn’t care. He’s too distracted by the fact that he loves Alex and Alex loves him and the warm sensation filling his heart—at least until the back of his knees bump into something.

He opens his eyes and sees a mischievous smirk on Alex’s face. Alex grabs Henry’s shoulders and guides him down to the lounge chair, and Henry sits down with enough force that the back of the chair reclines slightly.

Alex sits down on his knees in front of the chair, and Henry’s mind is spinning. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he’s worried that someone could see (“Only way that could have happened, babe, is if someone was spying on us from a helicopter,” Alex tells him later). Somewhere else, he recognizes how chilly it is—although the warmth spreading inside him makes him unconcerned about the weather.

But at the forefront of his mind is Alex’s beautiful brown curls. Alex’s gorgeous eyes, looking up at him with the hint of a smile. Alex’s soft lips. Alex’s hands undoing his belt buckle and unzipping his pants. _Fucking hell,_ Henry thinks, already feeling himself get hard. There’s no way he possibly deserves this man.

Alex slides Henry’s pants and boxers down far enough, and there’s an audible _thump_ against his stomach before Alex grabs him and holds him upright.

“Alex…” Henry says, half a whisper and half a moan.

Alex lowers his mouth onto Henry, and responds with a slow and very deliberate, “ _mmhmm?_ ”

And that, alone, is enough to make Henry involuntarily twitch. He reaches down and grabs a fistful of curls, tugging gently. He opens his eyes and sees Alex staring straight back up at him, with half of Henry inside his mouth at this point, and a groan escapes his lips. He can’t quite read the expression behind Alex’s eyes—there’s a devilish smile, but also an innocence that delights Henry.

Henry lashes his head back into the chair, eyes closing again, barely able to contain himself. Alex continues, and Henry is pretty sure he both needs Alex to stop _right now_ because the pleasure is just _too fucking much_ and needs Alex to _never stop_ because it just feels _so goddamn good_. He thinks that he is muttering profanities but he can’t be bothered to care about that while Alex increases both his depth and speed.

Once he’s finished, Alex climbs up onto the lounge chair and kisses Henry. Between kisses, Henry lets out a sigh and murmurs, “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Alex only smiles in response, and if he didn’t already feel melted into this chair, Henry certainly feels it now.

After their breathing returns to normal and Henry feels like he can see straight again, the two stand and head back indoors. They descend down to the parlor level, where this tour started over an hour ago. Henry is excited to unveil the artwork that he commissioned.

“This is the first time I am seeing it, too,” Henry says as they stand before the covered canvas. “I hope we like it.”

Alex glances at Henry and grins before leaning forward to tug the burlap fabric off. It falls to the ground, and there is a small but audible gasp. Henry doesn’t know if it came out of Alex’s mouth or his own.

“H, it’s—”

“Yeah, it is.”

“How did you…?”

“June somehow tracked down the artist on Instagram, and I contacted him to see if he would create it again for us.”

Alex steps backwards, into Henry’s arms, and leans his head onto Henry’s shoulder. The two stare at the artwork in silence for a moment: a six-foot tall painting, based on the graffiti art Alex spotted on his way out of London after their emails were leaked. It’s a mural of Alex and himself, drawn as Han Solo and Princess Leia, surrounded by a bright yellow light. In the white space to the side of Alex’s head, in the artist’s handwriting: “Never tell me the odds.”

“Babe, I—”

“Do you like it?”

Alex rotates his head to face Henry’s, his eyes wet, and says, “I fucking love you, sweetheart.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've shared any fictional work since I wrote Harry Potter RPGs in middle school, years ago. I would REALLY appreciate any feedback - positive or negative. I am honestly interested in hearing what you think and if my writing can improve. I'm especially interested in how well you think I did keeping the characters faithful to the original book.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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